The Life of Slang

Julie Coleman

Covers the Old English period to 2011, using blogs and tweets to explore contemporary slang. Shows the reader how they can do the same

Includes a word index for the slang terms in the book

The Life of Slang

Julie Coleman

Description

Bloody was once a shocking word. It was used largely by the working classes and caused their betters to shudder with horror. But Bloody isn't slang anymore in Britain, though it is still a swear-word. Everyone knows it, and most people use it, particularly when they're trying not to be offensive.

In The Life of Slang, Julie Coleman offers a fascinating portrait at an aspect of our language that is as slippery as it is lively--the ever-changing, protean world of slang. Ranging from Old English to the posts on Facebook and Twitter, Coleman shows why and how slang is used and how it has developed in English-speaking nations around the world. The records of court cases at London's Old Bailey and machine-searchable newspaper collections provide a wealth of new information about historical slang, while blogs and tweets provide us with a new perspective on contemporary slang. Coleman shows that slang can be quite difficult to pin down. Indeed, some words begin their life as slang, but then move on to the more dignified realm of standard English. Snide "insinuating, sneering" began as slang but is now considered standard use. Mortar-board "a hat worn at graduation" and tip "to give money in return for a service rendered" were both slang when they were first used. On the other hand, some words remain stubbornly slang. Pig has been slang for "police officers" since the beginning of the nineteenth century, and Buck "a dollar" has enjoyed slang status in the United States for a century and a half.

Vividly written and packed with fascinating observations on an ever-changing aspect of our language, TheLife of Slang will delight all word mavens and is guaranteed to teach you some new words that you shouldn't use in polite company.

The Life of Slang

Julie Coleman

Table of Contents

1. What is Slang?2. Spawning Slang3. Slang Development4. Slang Survival and Metamorphosis5. The Spread of Slang6. The early History of English Canting and Flash Language7. English Slang to the Twentieth Century8. Early American Slang9. The Beginnings of Other English Slangs10. Slang in the Media and Entertainment Age11. Slang in the Digital Age12. ConclusionsAcknowledgementsExplanatory Notes

The Life of Slang

Julie Coleman

Author Information

Julie Coleman is Professor of English Language at the University of Leicester.

The Life of Slang

Julie Coleman

Reviews and Awards

The Life of Slang by Julie Coleman wears academic robes, but underneath it's only too willing to get down and dirty....enjoyable and succinct." --Robert McCrum, The Observer

"Coleman's book is an enjoyable, thorough look at the purposes and particulars of slang that should be required reading, especially for newcomers to the topic. This is a textbook textbook on slang." -- ThinkMap Visual Thesaurus

By Julie Coleman My students are mostly white, middle-class, and female, but their slang is heavily influenced by rap culture. They chillax with their bloods and homies, dissing the skanky hos, expressing props to the players and pimping up their whips. Comparison with hippy slang suggests that it's only a matter of time before they're not the only ones using these terms.